Annie’s Eats

Hooray! My finicky stomach has been a bit better lately, and this week I was actually able to try a new recipe! I am so happy I had the opportunity because I finally got to try out my gorgeous new dutch oven (I *love* it). What better meal to try than something called “Dutch Oven Dinner”? I really liked the look of this recipe because it seemed a lot like some of the casseroles my mom and dad made when I was little. It is also fairly healthy and makes a lot of food. And of course, it is SUPER easy! I enjoyed the taste of the recipe as it is but I may play around a bit with different seasonings since the recipe doesn’t call for any. I think a touch of dried basil might make it even better.

My only tip for this dish is to make sure the tomatoes are completely covering the egg noodles. I left a little ring around the edge of uncovered noodles, and those ended up a bit chewy. I omitted the green pepper from the original recipe because Ben isn’t crazy about it. Otherwise, this was a great simple and tasty dinner.

Dutch Oven Dinner
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground sirloin
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups frozen corn
1 package (10-12 oz.) egg noodles
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Brown ground beef in 5-quart Dutch oven or large skillet with a lid. Add onion, mushrooms and corn. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread uncooked noodles evenly over top. Sprinkle cheese evenly over noodles. Pour the entire can of tomatoes over all. Simmer, tightly covered, for 1 hour, then let it stand 3-5 minutes before serving.

Source: Whole Foods

Yes, it’s true, we’re having a baby! I am 10 weeks pregnant today and decided it was finally time to break the happy news! Ben and I are just overjoyed and we cannot wait until June 28 to meet our little peanut.

This is our first ultrasound picture, taken at 7 weeks, 5 days. The round thing in the middle is the yolk sac and the rest is the baby, with its head pointing up. It has already grown quite a bit since this picture. Growth charts say it is now about the size of a lime!

This is the true reason for the severe lack of blog updates lately. I have been very fortunate to not have any real nausea, but I have had some major food aversions and cravings which has made cooking somewhat difficult. I haven’t had any weird cravings yet, but most of the things I’ve been wanting have been spaghetti, mac and cheese, and grilled cheese (not to mention every kind of fast food you can think of). When my stomach cooperates and I make something slightly more original I will update the blog. I only have a few more weeks of the first trimester so hopefully I will feel more “normal” again soon.

One thing that did sound good to me was sugar cookies with frosting, and I have been dying to try this recipe for ages. I have also really, really wanted a set of “ABC” cookie cutters for a long time and found this adorable set at Williams Sonoma. All of this came together for a cute and delicious announcement This frosting is truly delicious and I have a feeling I will use it quite often. I used 1% milk because that is what I had on hand but it didn’t seem to matter. I did add a bit more liquid to the frosting after adding the last cup of powdered sugar to get a better consistency, and that has been reflected in the recipe below.

Jon’s Super Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
¾ cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

For the frosting:
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter, softened
1-2 tbsp. cream or whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
Cream the margarine or butter and sugar well in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add in the vanilla and eggs; mix well to combine. In a separate bowl, sift the baking powder, salt and flour together. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and firm.

Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to ¼” thickness. Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut out cookies in desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Check often to prevent over-cooking or burning. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

To prepare the frosting, cream butter, milk and vanilla together until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. (Add extra milk if necessary.) Add liquid food coloring if desired. Decorate cookies once they have cooled.

Source: passed on by Nestie Joelen